A review by corita
Survive the Dome by Kosoko Jackson

3.0

Dystopian? Thriller?

Kosovo Jackson’s young adult novel, “Survive the Dome,” smashes several genres together and creates an entertaining story that is a mix of thriller, gay romance, and dystopian.

This story isn’t a distant dystopian future—the set up felt contemporary. I could imagine something similar happening now. We live in a crazy world.

Throw in an authoritarian leader, politics, police enforcing the mayor’s plan, and you’ve got action, adventure, danger, romance, and intense conflict.

What I Liked:

The story is realistic in that it’s easy to imagine something like this happening now.

Jamal Lawson is a young black student who goes to a protest, wanting to get a story for his high school paper. He meets Marco and later Catherine and together they try to survive the dome.

You can tell from the title and the book cover that a dome covers a community, and there’s no way out.

The dome reminded me of WWII ghettos the Germans set up in countries they occupied, segregating Jews and other people into small communities separate from the rest of the population, foreshadowing the horror to come. This added chilling, tangible danger to the story.

What I Wasn’t Crazy About:

The story is entertaining, but it has some flaws.

Jamal, Marco, and Catherine lack the deeper character development I like. Jamal is a know-it-all and makes several immature decisions, which was a little annoying, but also typical teen behavior.

The antagonists are flat and evil.

There are some unrealistic events. Especially as the story approaches the end, when there’s a big need to suspend disbelief.

Plus, the dialogue is stilted and sometimes cheesy.

However, I give Jackson credit for boldly addressing authoritarian leaders, racism, police brutality, disabilities, gay relationships, and more.

My Recommendation:

The story is entertaining and sometimes a chilling reality. If the criticism in the “What I Wasn’t Crazy About” section doesn’t bother you. This might be a book you’d enjoy.

A big thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of “Survive the Dome.”